


Green Grass Against the Skin

by lionessvalenti



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Best Friends, Gen, Werewolf Steve Rogers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-10
Updated: 2019-12-10
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:21:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 928
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21739771
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lionessvalenti/pseuds/lionessvalenti
Summary: Bucky's there the morning after the full moon.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes & Steve Rogers
Comments: 6
Kudos: 27
Collections: Writing Rainbow Green





	Green Grass Against the Skin

**Author's Note:**

  * For [NekoMida](https://archiveofourown.org/users/NekoMida/gifts).



The moon hung full and bright in the sky as Bucky walked through the forest and into the clearing. It was nearly dawn, the light turning everything blue, only a few fireflies left blinking yellow against the dim.

He smiled. It was calm out in the woods, but it wouldn't be for long.

He heard the howl, and Bucky's smile turned to a grin. Seconds later, a huge wolf ran into the clearing. Bucky crouched down, bracing himself, as the wolf bolted directly toward him.

The beast's powerful jaws clamped down on Bucky's metal arm. The vibranium didn't give, though he could feel the vibrations through his shoulder and up his neck.

"Hey, buddy," Bucky said, resting his other hand on the wolf's giant head. His fur was thick and soft. "Did you have fun out there?"

The wolf growled, his blue eyes glowing as it tried to bite down further on the metal, frustrated by the resistance.

Bucky laughed. Were this any wolf, he was sure he'd be having his face eaten off right about now, but this was not any wolf. This was a wolf that still held a sliver of Steve Rogers within him, whether he realized it or not. "You're all right there. Just give it a few more minutes."

The wolf released him and let out an incredible howl. With both hands free, Bucky slapped them over his ears. A wolf's howl at this close of a range could be deafening. Even with his ears covered, he could still hear it, loud and clear.

The howl subsided to a whimper as the wolf fell down on his side. Bucky ran his hands over the length of its body, the beast shaking beneath his touch. This was the worst of it. 

"You're all right," Bucky said as soothingly as possible. "It's almost over."

The shaking turned to a deeper convulsion and the wolf whimpered, high pitched painful sounds. With the crunching sound of bone, the wolf transformed into the shivering, naked, human form of Steve.

Bucky reached into his bag and pulled out a blanket, unfolding it, then draping it over Steve. They'd been through this enough times that he knew the routine. It was going to take Steve a while to come back into his human senses. So Bucky sat back and waited.

There were a lot of things that had changed while Bucky had been under HYDRA control, but Steve being a werewolf was more jarring than mobile phones. He understood the science of it, that they needed the jolt from the werewolf blood to wake him up after being frozen for seventy years, but it didn't make it less weird.

As Bucky watched Steve slowly stop shivering, and seemed almost to be asleep, he wondered who was doing this for the three years between Steve being unfrozen and Bucky stepping in. Maybe no one was. Maybe Steve didn't even need this.

But it was nice to have a friend.

The sky was pink with sunrise when Steve finally cracked open an eye. "Hey, Buck," he slurred.

"Hey." Bucky grabbed the water bottle of his bag. "Can you sit up?"

"Yeah," Steve replied, but he didn't move right away. After a couple of seconds, he grunted and pushed a hand against the grass to leverage himself into a sitting position. He pulled the blanket around his shoulders, bunching up the excess in his lap. He took the offered water. "Thanks."

"Are you hungry?"

Steve took a long drink and shook his head. "I ate. A rabbit, I think."

"So you don't need this protein bar, then." Bucky grinned. He knew Steve would be ravenous in a couple hours, but that was a call for a dozen pancakes. If he ate anything right after the transformation, it was something small. Something that wouldn't upset his still slightly wolfy digestion.

With a soft chuckle, Steve shook his head again. "No, I'm good."

Bucky swallowed. "How was it?"

"It was..." Steve smiled to himself. He tilted his chin to look at Bucky, his expression soft and pleased. He still looked exhausted, with dark circles under his eyes, but _happy_. "You know, when I woke up and they told me this was my life now, it scared me. I didn't really know what it meant. Now, I think it's the best thing that could have happened to me."

"How so?"

He took another swig of water. "It forces me to be uninhibited. No matter what else is happening, I have to take this time and do this thing. There's no stopping it. No matter what else is going on, I have to take a break and tap into something else entirely. And it's... raw. Without any human mind or senses, everything is so pure. I thought the serum changed everything, but it's nothing compared to this."

Bucky nodded like he understood, but there was no way to understand. It was all too much, too different. "Sounds intense."

"Yeah," Steve finished off the water and Bucky held his hand out for the empty bottle. Steve gave it to him, and Bucky tucked it back into his bag.

"You ready to put some clothes?" Bucky asked.

"Mmmm." Steve let the blanket drop from his shoulders, letting it fall around his waist in a puddle, and he stretched his arms over his head. "I'd like to feel the grass against my skin a little bit longer. You don't mind, do you?"

Bucky smiled fondly, and shook his head. "Nah, I don't mind. We'll stay as long as you want."


End file.
